My Man, also known as The Headmaster in our house, has just pointed out spelling errors on my latest blog ‘Back Home in Beautiful Tuscany’. These have been corrected, so please re-visit and enjoy. June x
Ciao Ragazzi and a big welcome to all my new followers,
Today I am talking about my visit to England, Marketing ‘My Father, The Assassin’, Signing Autographs, Cuckoos, Giant Moths, Fungi, My Man Home Alone, Silvio Berlusconi (who?) and The Rock Concert.
Yesterday I returned from six days in England having left my man in charge of the villa and cat. I am always homesick when away from Tuscany and the homecoming is always very emotional. My man organized some lovely fizzy prosecco on the upper terrace and I started to unwind in no time. It was a good week, meeting with new potential clients, promoting the book and seeing family & friends. I particularly enjoyed handing my writer’s card to people on trains & planes and watching them immediatley download onto Kindles or order on-line direct from their phones – incredible! This morning we went for our coffee fix at Fiano and was greeted by the lovely Laura & beautiful daughter Benedetta like a long lost friend. Benedetta even asked me to sign her autograph book – wow!
Laura & Benedetta at the Alimentare/Bar in Fiano (not to be confused with the other bar in the piazza)
My Man had quite an eventful time when I was away and talked a lot to Farty Barty the cat. He also had a lengthy conversation with a giant moth that landed on his lap and stayed for ages.
Giant Moth on the man’s trouser leg.
Then he was visited by three cuckoos, which is extremely rare as they are very shy and usually alone, so he chatted with them. Then he discovered the most amazing fungi in the garden and chatted with that.
Finally, he resorted to taking a picture of his own reflection, but he’s OK now……
My man in reflective mood.
Anyway, what is the latest from the hunky Silvio Berlusconi? You may be aware that he is being prosecuted for under age sex (he’s 76) and fraud, amongst other things. He claims that he is being persecuted by by Italy’s magistrates. On Saturday he turned a ‘political’ rally in Brescia into a protest against the Italian judiciary. Karima el-Mahrong now claims that she never slept with Silvio when she was seventeen and that he gave her money purely out of the desire to help her build a life for herself….. Well, just look at that face below, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a used car from him or accept a donation to further my career. What do you think?
Silvio in Brescia
And finally, I really must get on with some singing practice as Stefano, my lead guitarist and mentor, wants to do a rehearsel on Thursday! The Rock Chick Band’s concert will be on the 22nd June, which is only three weeks away – fantastico.
Have a great week and ci vediamo la prossima weekend.
June xx
PS if you are in Fiano, you can buy my book from Milko’s Cartoleria or on-line by clicking the top right hand side of this page. Enjoy! xx
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Berlusconi, coffee, Cuckoos, Farty Barty, Fiano, Fungi, Giant Moths, Italy, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Silvio Berlusconi, the Cuckoo, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany | 6 Comments »
I will be travelling between Sunday 26 May and Saturday 1st June and will not have easy access to the internet, so things may seem a little quiet from my end. However, do telephone 020 3239 2877 or email june.finnigan@hoareworth.com if you need to make contact. Salute.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Hoare Worth, June Finnigan, South West England, Travelling | Leave a Comment »
Ciao Ragazzi and all my New Followers – welcome,
Well, I am very excited and can’t wait to tell you about my amazing book sales here in Tuscany. I am also going to be talking about Milko, Silvio Berlusconi (remember him?), The Rock Chick Band, Cold Winds, Zucchini Plants and Snails and going to England.
Firstly, I am delighted that Milko the owner of our local Cartoleria (stationers) has already sold two of my novels ‘My Father, The Assassin’. One to a lady from Finland and the other to our local doctor, who speaks a little English. As the book is only currently in English, this is quite an achievement! So well done Milko! We saw a couple of German tourists today, so hopefully more English speaking people will be passing through soon!
The very handsome Milko and his book display in Fiano!
Things are hotting up with our plans for the next Rock Chick Band concert in our lovely garden. My lead guitarist and mentor, Stefano Bartalesi, is checking that I am practicing and we will be having a rehearsal with the two backing singers and rhythm guitarist in two weeks time. My alarm goes at noon everyday to remind me to do a half hour singing practice before pranzo (lunch), however, I am so side tracked by work and book marketing that I don’t always achieve this. But don’t tell Stefano. My plan is to practice like crazy during the two weeks run up and to soothe my throat with some lovely Chianti from Claudio Corbinelli’s vineyard! If you are in Tuscany on the 22nd June and would like an invite to this private concert party, email me at june.finnigan@virgin.net.
So what is the latest from the gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi? Mama Mia, Ilda Boccassini, prosecutor, has been sent threats including a letter with two bullets, her office said. Well, what can we say, Silvio has such a huge fan club that they could have come from a little granny or a seventeen year old dancer, who knows? Silvio claims he is the victim of a campaign by left-wing magistrates. Look him in the eye and tell me what you think!
We have been coming up with all sorts of ways, short of stepping on them which sometimes cannot be avoided, to keep the snails off our zucchini (courgette) plants. We collect bucket fulls and throw them, one at a time, in a gentle arc into the olive grove which gives them a second chance. However, if you come out at dusk you will find them trooping back up to the garden in convoy. Whilst the plants are small enough, we have them inside plastic bottles overnight and coffee dregs around the bases. Please don’t suggest any chemical deterrents; our local plant shop gave me some crystals to sprinkle around and I was heartbroken to find the tiny plants eaten and the snails belly up! Never again….
The weather has been wet, cold and windy, so my going to England tomorrow will not make any difference to my wardrobe. Arrgh, you might say and I agree with you. However, I must make an appearance from time to time and will be networking and promoting my company, http://www.hoareworth.com, whilst handing out lots of cards for ‘My Father, The Assassin’. I read recently, that an American writer hit record novel sales because her husband was handing out cards on all his business trips! My man (bless him) also does that, and I shall do the same this next week. I will be back next Saturday so will send you my next post on Sunday 2nd June.
Have a great weekend. June xx
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Berlusconi, Chianti, coffee, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlesconi, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany | Leave a Comment »
Thank you David Conway for giving ‘My Father, The Assassin’ a four star book review on amazon! http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Father-The-Assassin-Finnigan/dp/1481904396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358800225&sr=8-1
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Book Review, David Conway, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, WordPress managed to publish an unedited and unfinished version of my latest blog. Yes, I had enjoyed a cocktail and a couple of vinos, but I am sure it was not my fault! So you will shortly receive the correct version of Rain, Rain and More Rain in Beautiful Tuscany. Enjoy…
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Ciao Ragazzi and big welcome to all my new followers,
My apologies for being a day late, but there has been a lot of fun and excitement this last week. Today I am talking about a Shifting Villa, Bunga Bunga Parties with the gorgeous Silvio, the Mille Miglia, Harry Honda, Farty Barty, ‘My Father, The Assassin’ and Rain, Rain, Rain.
A couple of weeks ago all the internal doors on the east side of the villa started squeaking and dragging the ground. So last Saturday my man got his big Jemmy and some oil and asked me which doors he should tackle. To our amazement they had all returned to normal. We mentioned this strange phenomenon in the cafe bar at Fiano and everyone shrugged and said it was normale in these hills. The ground below the villa had probably shifted a fraction and then moved back a week later. Signore Rotund (not his real name) told us how his house had formed a crack as wide as his fist, a big plump fist, and a few weeks later it had closed up again! We were also told, in Italian of course, that our house had been in the same place for 200 years and that they knew of several that had moved as far as the next village!
The big excitement of the week was our joining the Mille Miglia race for the leg between Poggibonsi and Tavernelle. This is an annual event that has wonderful classic cars road racing from southern to northern Italy with stops for picnics and vino. What a thrill it is to be nose to tail with Bentleys, Alpha Romeos and Lamborghini! What was that you said? Oh, our car….Er, well it is called Harry Honda and if I was being honest with you I would admit to our having ‘accidentally’ got caught up in the race for the fourth time. But don’t you just love it when the crowds wave to you!
Farty Barty, our grey tiger cat, got a reprieve yesterday. We had borrowed a cat box to take him to the vet for his jabs and the little gate fell off before we even got him to the car, so he made a dash for it! Well who can blame him. He’s suffered worse and still returned to be fed. When we moved house he returned to his old one and waited for us to go back and feed him. Now, we are reliably informed, he visits his old friends, and probably children, on a regular basis.
Farty Barty
So, what has the lovely Silvio Burlesconi been up to. The courts are currently going over has past life and his love of Bunga Bunga parties. Apparently the girlies all dressed up as Nuns and then did a striptease! If he had wanted the real thing he could have just popped next door into the Vatican City!
Well, I have ordered a carton of my book, ‘My Father, The Assassin’ from the publisher as I have worked out that I can make a bigger profit if I buy in bulk and sell them to the tourists. The only problem is that the tourists are still thin on the ground in Fiano, however, a neighbour did spot one yesterday! If you are in the area and would like a signed copy, let me know!
The weather has been awful and I feel really sorry for the visitors. However, when the sun comes out it is blissfully hot. We are going to take a chance and head off to Montespertoli for our traditional Sunday cocktail in the main Piazza and to watch the world go by. We might then drop into one of our local restaurants ‘C’era Una Volta’ (Once upon a time) at Lucardo for lunch. Hey, the sun has just come out so we are off….salute.
Buona Domenica and see you next weekend xx
Here is the direct link for my novel ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Berlusconi, Chianti, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, Tuscany | Leave a Comment »
Do you think the Literary Agent is heading the same way as the Dodo?
The extinct Dodo at oxford Museum.
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Buon Giorno Ragazzi
Welcome to another weekly blog and con piacere to all my new followers! Today I will be talking about Burning Hats, Bee Eaters, Rain, Acacia Trees, Jasmin, Silvio Burlesconi and ‘My Father, The Assassin.
The exiting event of this last week was my man setting light to his hat when he was still wearing it! He has been helping our son-in-law (genero) prune, clear and burn the debris from the olive trees. He was in charge of the bonfires. Now one has to be careful not to let the fire spread and fortunately the land was fairly damp. However, bits kept floating upwards and what goes up must come down. He smelt something burning very close at hand and could not identify it until some rancid smoke blew done over his face! Then he realized he was on fire and grabbed his hat just before the flames started on his hair. He still has a handsome crop of hair, so that was a relief! Sadly, it is goodbye to his ancient green jungle hat that he wore as a young Marine…..
Some good news. Just about all of our feathered friends from North Africa are now here, including the beautiful Bee Eater. The birdsong is fabulous, even at night. In the garden and countryside the Acacia trees are dripping with white blossom and starting to send their snow flurries of seeds drifting slowly through the air. Soon the roadsides will look like we have had an overnight snow shower. The Jasmin is particularly lush this year, and the perfume is to die for. We have had quite a lot of rain this last week which, with the help of warm sunny breaks, has encouraged every imaginable wild flower to burst through the grassy banks.
Bee Eaters in Acacia Tree
And how is our gorgeous friend Silvio Berlusconi doing? Mama Mia, his tax fraud conviction has been upheld on its first appeal! He says his conviction is politically motivated and he is expected to appeal to Italy’s highest court. Slip in a few gold bars here and there, that’s what I say…..
Back in our local village of Fiano, I am very excited to tell you that Milko, our local Stationer (Cartoleria) has placed his book order for ‘My Father, The Assassin’. I’ll start with three, he said, what cartons I asked, no three books and we’ll see how the tourists take to them! No silly comments please…. But we don’t care about that, Amazon is doing a reasonably good job. Run your cursor over to the right of this page and you can buy one now!
Well the weather is now gorgeous and it’s time to organize pranzo in the garden. Then we can look forward to the beautiful light display put on by the Fire Flies this evening.
Buona Domenica x
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Acacia, Add new tag, Bee Eater, Berlusconi, Fiano, Fire Flies, Italy, My Father The Assassin, Silvio Berlesconi, Silvio Berlusconi, Tuscany | 1 Comment »
One poet Claire Dyer, one book ‘Eleven Rooms’, two words – Just Beautiful.
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Junefinnigan's Weblog 